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Three Ways That God Speaks to Us

By Comeuntochrist.org

God has always spoken to His children to help them and guide them through life. Indeed, one of the most important lessons you can learn from studying the Bible is that God will always listen when you ask for His help: “The Lord will hear when I call unto him” (Psalm 4:3).

The challenge is to learn how God answers your prayers and to recognize what those answers are. Below are three ways that God speaks to you. Reviewing these may help you the next time you are struggling or have a serious question to ask God.

God can speak to you through the Holy Spirit

In the final chapter of the Book of Mormon, the ancient Nephite prophet Moroni directs followers of Christ’s gospel to ask God if the gospel is true.

He said: “I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:4–5).

As this scripture shows, communication through the Holy Ghost (or the Holy Spirit) can be powerful. The Holy Ghost is able to bring thoughts from God to your mind and to your heart. He can prompt you to do something or can warn you of danger. During stressful times, He can comfort you.

God can speak to you through the scriptures

Something everyone has in common is problems. When life gets hard, where do you turn for comfort? If you haven’t yet done so, try turning to the scriptures the next time you’re struggling. Carefully written by prophets thousands of years ago, the scriptures offer nuggets of wisdom that may make your current problems seem less bleak.

Imagine that you are really struggling through some hard times when one evening, while seeking comfort, you read the following verse, describing what Jesus told His followers during His last days on earth: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Perhaps that scripture will speak to you with personal meaning, bringing peace and reassurance from God. The same is true for other scriptures—God’s word is eternal, and He will continue to speak to you in this way. In many respects, the scriptures were written just for you for this day and age.

The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi had a vision in which he was shown many world events that have happened or that will happen. Nephi saw the Bible and was told that this book contained “many of the prophecies of the holy prophets” (1 Nephi 13:23).

Nephi was commanded to write about this vision, and his record is contained in the opening pages of the Book of Mormon. It serves as a reminder of the importance of the scriptures. God has given the Bible and Book of Mormon as holy scriptures, in part to help us get through life’s troubling times.

God can speak to you through prophets

You’re probably familiar with some of God’s prophets—Noah, Moses, and Abraham are three from the Old Testament. They prophesied that Jesus would come, die for the sins of the world, and show us the way back to Heavenly Father. (see Moses 1:6; 6:52-57; 8:24; Abraham 3:27; JST Gen. 15:12.)

After Jesus died and was resurrected, the Church He had organized continued under the direction of the Apostle Peter. Eventually, though, an apostasy occurred, those early Apostles were all killed, and the world was without prophets for a long time.

Today, through the Restoration of the gospel by Joseph Smith, the world has living prophets once more. President Russel M. Nelson, the current President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is recognized by Mormons as a prophet, seer, and revelator. The counsel President Nelson shares is counsel that comes directly from Heavenly Father and is meant for the specific trials the world faces today.

Just as God worked with Moses and Noah, He uses His prophets today to remind people to follow the commandments and learn more about the gospel. You can find comfort in the teachings of modern prophets, and often you’ll read a talk from them that feels as if it were written just for you.

God speaks to His children in many ways, but three specific ways are through the Holy Ghost, through the scriptures, and through living prophets. Learning to recognize God’s voice will help you find more peace and fulfillment in your life.